//------------------------------// // Chapter 47 – Reunion // Story: Infinity Era // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// 47 New York, USA Greenwich Village, Manhattan 177a Bleecker Street 9:49 a.m. What they thought was just another block decimated by the alien invasion actually turned out to be completely unscathed. Once the large group led by Doctor Strange and Wong passed through the unusual mists nearly blending into the very air, that’s when they realized it was all a mind trick. “Don’t be startled!” Stephen Strange called out, waving along the worrying civilians and confused Avengers and Defenders. “The Vapors of Valtorr are like a camouflage! Nothing can see us; we look just like the rest of the city!” “The rest of the city that’s burning?” Tony Stark commented, walking past Strange with a bemused expression. Peter Parker was on the man’s right, the Iron Spider mask covering his face and his glowing, blue eyes scanning the buildings around them. Rhodey and Vision were either by Spider-Man or behind Stark, walking closely together wherever Strange directed them. Grumbling at that, Doctor Strange pulled his cloak forward, speed walking so he could catch up to Stark’s left side. “Don’t remind me, Stark,” he told him, voice hushed as to not attract too much attention from the other civilians. “As much as I would like to worry about the invasion like you, there’s something important we need to discuss.” Tony wheeled on him, still keeping up with his pace but meeting Stephen’s eyes all the same. There they walked, there they met. Two very alpha and leading figures trying to see who was superior, who had the greater will and the greater strength. Stark could see the hardened determination in Strange’s eyes, laced tightly around the steel-like, almost dead stare that Strange radiated. And Stephen as well could see into Tony’s eyes, right through his very person and witness the years of genius and experience. Of chaos and warfare. Of knowledge and torture. How any man could hold it all in gave Strange a pinch of respect for Stark, more so than he ever had before for the Iron Man. Finally breaking away, Tony sighed and stared down the clean road ahead of them, holding out his arms. “Well, where do we discuss it?” he asked. “In here, please!” Wong announced, all eyes in the crowd turning towards the building directly to their left. Misty and Claire held out their hands to the civilians, stopping them before they could take another step forward, pausing just in front of the building. Frank Castle, Matthew Murdock, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Danny Rand aiding Colleen Wing along step by step all gazed wondrously at the structure they almost seemed to completely miss. Stark, Rhodes, Vision, and Parker all appeared the same. It wasn’t a particularly unique building by any means, blending in well with the others by its sides. The dwelling stood at the end of the road, Wong standing at the top of the short steps that led to the large pair of doors he held open. What appeared most off about the building, however, was the strange symbol embedded within the glass window near the roof. Stark had never seen the symbol before in his entire life. A personal design choice maybe. Considering their hosts, Stark knew that wasn’t entirely the reasoning. He, as well as the Avengers, all walked ahead to where Wong stood, Doctor Strange right beside them. Strange paused and looked back, nodding to Misty Knight. Misty eventually nodded back, finally having the chance to put her pistol away. “All right, you heard the wizard!” she called out, waving to the crowds behind her and Claire. She pointed to the building with the odd symbol on it, saying, “We got a safehouse over here! Gather up! Single file line inside! No pushing, no shoving! We’re safe now!” “I wouldn’t recommend yelling that loud,” Stephen told her, Misty spinning about and meeting the man who had suddenly appeared behind her, nearly face to face with her. Taking a precautionary step backwards, still not trusting Strange fully, Misty raised an interested brow and asked, “Why is that?” “The Vapors of Valtorr only block sight,” Doctor Strange answered, watching as that revelation finally settled in on Misty. More and more civilians limped or walked past them, a few giving Strange some unsure, wavering glances before proceeding into the Sanctum. Strange nodded their way, turning aside from Misty. “Might want to tell that to your civilians when inside.” With a brush of his cloak, he was gone, walking beside his fellow New Yorkers into the Sanctum Sanctorum. And Detective Knight watched him, shaking her head and eventually proceeding forward as well. She still couldn’t believe a sorcerer of all people lived in New York, let alone came to their aid. But hell, she wasn’t complaining. She had been fighting all morning. It would be nice to just sit back and recover for a moment. The others, unfortunately, didn’t feel the same. The Defenders alongside Colleen Wing and Frank Castle were the last ones inside, all seeming to walk in tandem, close together, still quite unsure of the situation laid before them that awful morning. A few of them were still trying to fully comprehend the weight of the alien invasion descending upon their city. A few others accepted the harshness of reality, but still found themselves struggling to believe that a wizard was the one to offer them safety. Jessica Jones was one of those few, leaning closer to Luke, Murdock, and Danny. “You sure we should trust these guys?” Jessica asked, only Luke turning her way. Matthew was focused ahead and Danny was busy carrying Colleen’s arm around his shoulder. “They look a little sketchy.” “That wizard guy took out more Chitauri in less than ten seconds than we could all day,” Luke said, meeting Jessica’s incredulous expression. He couldn’t blame her. After everything that had happened to them that morning, from meteor hitting New York, to the Chitauri striking Manhattan once more, and now to the wizards… he couldn’t blame her for being on edge. Sighing, Luke faced forward. “We stay close. Keep our eyes open and our guard up.” Jessica took that as best as she could, facing forward and proceeding closer to the building. Danny, on the other hand, turned his attention away from Colleen for a second and focused on Murdock. He noticed his neck was twisted to the side, his lips slightly parted. “What do you have, Matt?” Rand asked, Colleen hissing in pain as she clutched her wound. Daredevil was silent for a moment or two. Then, his head was straight and still, his voice muttering, “A few other heartbeats… right inside the building.” “Safe haven, my ass,” Frank growled under his breath, assault rifle still held tight in his palms. They were the last ones into the Sanctum, the building Frank saw as not being able to withstand the forces of the alien invasion, yet still stood without a scratch amongst the carnage. He still didn’t trust it, just as Wong didn’t trust the outside world. Wong took one last look outside before closing the doors and locking them. He never saw the invisible Outrider watching from a rooftop, its own camouflage fading away and revealing the sickening creature underneath it. The Outrider barred its teeth at the closed doors and hissed, “Time…” It vanished once more, not a single eye spotting it. The Sanctum Sanctorum 9:50 a.m. Tony Stark, James Rhodes, the Vision, and Peter Parker were the first ones to stop dead in their tracks. As droves of civilians walked past them into the confines of the Sanctum, all they could do was stare straight ahead. James’ mask slid backwards, revealing his awestruck expression beneath. Vision’s mouth lightly fell, a thin smile forming when he saw them. Peter Parker’s eyes widened, both the mask and what lied beneath, at who he saw standing in the center of the foyer. But Tony was the most startled by far, nearly losing his breath at the sight of them. At the three individuals he hadn’t seen in years, two of which were long-lost Avengers and the other was the villain who brought them all together in the first place. Thor, Loki, and Bruce Banner stood together in a cluster, only turning in tandem when they heard the doors open and watching the civilians flood inside the Sanctum. Then they all stared straight ahead, towards Tony Stark and the ones who stood with him. Each group observed each other. Banner wore some old clothes of Strange’s, Thor wearing a set of filthy, black armor, minus the sleeves. Loki wore a dark blue suit and cape, the inside of the cape a bright yellow, but splotched with filth and blood stains. All of them appeared absolutely shaken, gazes widening to see Stark. He kept his eyes lingering on Loki a moment longer than he wanted before forcing them away and onto the others. “Bruce…” Tony said, blinking a couple times to make sure who he saw was true. “Where the hell have you been?” Banner broke the tension trying to rise between them by stepping forward and wrapping his arms across Tony. He could actually reach behind him, considering his armor fit almost neatly alongside his jacket and skin beneath. It was actually an incredible upgrade, Banner thought, as Stark slowly hugged him back. The show of friendship ended shortly, Banner breaking off but only leaving room for Thor to practically ram himself into Tony with his bone-crushing hug. “Stark!” Thor exclaimed, slapping his palm on Tony’s metallic backside and creating several loud clangs to sound off. “Good to see you again, Thor!” Stark said, having to lean back from Thor’s overly-affectionate ways. That, and his weight. He slapped Thor’s shoulder, prompting him to end the hug fast. When he finally did, Stark maintained his balance, pointing to Thor’s biceps. “Have you gotten stronger? What do you use, ‘roids, protein shakes, what is it?” Thor chuckled at that, not knowing what “‘roids” or “protein shakes” Stark was referring to. “Nothing to it. Just went on a journey of self-discovery. You seem to have gotten an upgrade,” the God of Thunder said, pointing to Stark’s Arc Reactor. Tony nodded at that, tapping once on the glowing hole resting over his chest and holding his armor together. “Nanoparticles. Work like a charm. I like the haircut,” he said, taking notice to the eyepatch covering Thor’s right eye. “Damn, what happened to your eye?” “Oh, my sister cut it out before Surtur impaled her with his gigantic blade.” “Jesus Christ, forget I even asked.” The Avengers continued to reunite, allowing the Defenders—alongside the Punisher, Colleen Wing, Misty Knight, Claire Temple, and the other civilians—to slip past the gods among men and scatter about throughout the foyer of the Sanctum. The civilians moved about and studied their surroundings, several resting on the steps of the stairs or nearby couches and chairs. Some remained standing, others sitting near the walls and comforting each other, their friends, and their families. Misty and Claire moved about, asking anyone if they needed help with anything. Claire offered her skills as a medic to those injured. She wasn’t alone. As Wong closed the doors and proceeded to tend to the civilians with their wounds and needs, Doctor Strange returned his attention back onto Stark and the other Avengers. He approached them from behind, slipping past Loki and appearing on Stark’s backside. When he spoke, all eyes within the crowd of heroes turned accordingly to the Sorcerer Supreme. He looked from Thor to Stark, saying, “Your friend here, the God of Thunder, has offered some very, very helpful insight on the situation.” “Including…” Tony prompted him onwards. “Who was responsible not only for the Chitauri invasion—” Strange began. “But for the alien world above us,” Thor finished. Tony turned from one man to the other, furrowing his brow at their expressions. He saw the piercing coolness grip each of them, so cold Stark could almost feel it pierce his own armor and send shivers down his spine. He held strong, and instead asked, “Who?” “Thanos,” Banner breathed, stepping forward. Stark turned his way, his own jaw falling to see the terror laced around Banner’s eyes when he said that name. “He’s a plague, Tony. He invades planets, he takes what he wants, he wipes out half the population. He sent Loki. The attack on New York six years ago, that’s him.” The name was what caught Tony Stark. Thanos. The name he constantly knew troubled his heart but could never fully pinpoint what it was, what it meant, or what he could do to prevent it. Then Banner said he was the one behind New York, the one behind the first Chitauri invasion. It was all coming full circle. The nightmares, the dreading, the constant shadow hanging over his shoulders and telling him he couldn’t protect the Earth… it was all referring to one being. Thanos. The one who sent Loki. Pausing at that, Stark looked over to the brother of Thor, the God of Mischief choosing to remain outside of the group and hopefully out of the conversation. That wasn’t possible any longer when all eyes suddenly turned his way, Loki sighing at that. “He sent you?” Tony asked. Loki could sense the hostility as ripe on his tongue as it was shared amongst them. Yet there was no use in lying or finding a way out of his current dilemma. His very fate, his actions for survival, all depended on those who stood against Thanos. “Yes,” Loki answered. “You with him?” Stark asked. “Never again.” “You with us, then?” “Do I have a choice?” “You better make the right one…” Loki smirked. “Then I suppose I’m with you.” Though the tension between Stark and Loki still remained strong, the only way for it to cool was to drop the current conversation and move on to the next, let the tension settle. Thor, unfortunately, managed to make it worse. “Loki may have also been responsible for all of this,” Thor said. Loki slowly stared at him, his smile falling as he crossed his arms. Thor met his gaze, clearing his throat. “But we’re not one hundred percent certain yet.” While the two brothers shared a resentful and private conversation amongst themselves, Tony Stark was trapped in his own thoughts. Spider-Man, Vision, War Machine, and Doctor Strange all watched him silently, the sounds of the constant cries and groaning from the civilians scattered about almost sounding like wisps of air to them. Their complete focus was on Stark and his thousand-yard stare. “This is it,” Tony finally muttered, his back to them. He faced them shortly. They all saw the grim expression in his features, the loss of strength in his eyes. “It’s all been leading to this. This… Thanos… he’s been in my head for six years. Everything I wanted to do to protect the Earth, everything with Ultron, with the Accords, it was all for this moment. Either we stop him here or else he’ll take Earth.” “He doesn’t want Earth…” Tony looked to Doctor Strange. They all did. Even Thor and Loki did, breaking away from their private discussion to see what Strange had to say. With his gaze to the floor, Stephen tightened his lips and slowly shook his head. His shaking palms gripped one another, resting just over his stomach. When he finally met the eyes of the Avengers, he said, “He wants the Infinity Stones.” Vision blinked, his eyes widening at that. “Like the Mind Stone?” “Precisely,” Strange said, nodding to the android. “As well as the Time Stone, which is safe back in Kamar-Taj under the protection of the Masters of the Mystic Arts.” “Okay, about… twelve percent of what you just said there made sense,” Tony added, Stephen turning his disgruntled frown towards Stark. Pointing over to Vision—more accurately, his forehead—Stark asked, “Why does he even want the Stones?” “Universal genocide,” Thor said. “With all six Infinity Stones, he could become god-like, unfathomably powerful; just a snap of his fingers could wipe out half of all life in the universe.” “He already has three Stones,” Banner continued, counting off on his fingers. “Space… Power… Reality… which already makes him the most powerful being in the universe.” “Space, Power, Reality…” Tony muttered, pointing over to Vision, “Mind…” then to Strange, “Time… That just leaves one more Stone. Where is it?” He turned to Strange for an answer, clearly expecting the wizard to know considering he knew a hell of a lot more about the situation than Stark could ever have. Unfortunately, the expression on Strange’s face said it all, the sorcerer shaking his head. “The Soul Stone… It’s location… is currently unknown to us.” Stark cursed under his breath, rubbing his chin and goatee in thought. He turned away and stared at the recovering and resting civilians. They had been through absolute hell, having experienced not one, but two alien invasions in their city. Stark wanted to do more. There was so much more he could do on Earth to prevent any more lives from being taken. And the longer he stayed with wizards and Norse gods talking about the fate of the universe, the longer he stayed away from Pepper and the promise he made her. Then again… would what the wizards had planned take longer than what Stark did? “So…” Doctor Strange faced Stark once again. Tony sighed through his nostrils, both flaring as a large outtake of air slipped out of him. “About that world…” he said, letting the rest trail off his tongue and hoping Strange would catch it. And did he ever… and reply with a fastball. “It’s planet Equus.” The fastball struck Tony right in his chest, tearing through his armor and making him lose his breath. Tony took a step back despite his best efforts to remain standing, his enlarged eyes contained and trapped within Strange’s frozen stare. “You gotta be shitting me,” Stark whispered, his voice stuttering. Doctor Strange just shook his head, confirming Tony’s worries. “I wish I was.” “I might be missing something here,” Peter Parker said, several eyes turning his way. He pointed straight up towards the ceiling, a few heads turning in that direction as he said, “Equus… as in… the same world the pony ambassadors came from?” Managing to maintain himself, Tony nodded to him, saying, “The same one, kid.” “Kid?” Stephen repeated, looking from Parker and then back to Stark with a cynical look. “I thought he sounded young. This isn’t going to be a particularly ‘safe’ journey, so if you want to tell me, Stark, why you have a child trailing behind you? I-I mean, who is he even, your ward?” “No, I’m the B-Team,” Peter responded. Strange just frowned his way, watching as Parker approached him. His mask materialized back, revealing his face to Strange and Tony. Thor, Loki, and Banner stood by, watching the scene unfold before them. He offered his hand to Stephen, to which he only looked at. “Actually, I’m Peter.” “Doctor Strange,” the Sorcerer Supreme responded, facing Stark once again. We bowed his head slightly, pursing his lips when his own name filled the group. “My mistake. We weren’t formally introduced.” “Oh, we’re using our made-up names…” Strange furrowed his brow at that, spinning back and staring curiously at Parker. His mask slid back over his face, the blue eyes lighting back up. “I’m Spider-Man, then.” Doctor Strange stared for a moment longer before shaking his head and returning to Stark, to someone who actually had the mind and willpower to be just the man Strange needed for what lied ahead. “We promised to take this information about who caused these cataclysmic events to the rulers of Equus. If we were all to travel there together, then we could put our minds to understand how to stop these events from transpiring. What do you say, Stark?” But Tony was already walking away, his metallic feet striding and stomping across the foyer floor of the Sanctum Sanctorum. His Arc Reactor burned bright, the Mark 50 so fluid and moving to his movements like a second skin. On the outside, he looked to be in thought. But on the inside, he was in a deafening battle with himself. Of all the planets in the entire cosmos, it just happened to be Equus to appear right on their doorstep alongside an alien invasion. As if shit couldn’t get anymore complicated, the reality of the situation told Stark that he needed to travel to Equus, meet with the same ponies who took part in the disbanding of the Avengers, and work with them in order to turn the tides of the invasion. His nerve, his old scars told him no. But everything else begged him yes. It wouldn’t be all bad, anyway. He just wouldn’t look at Rainbow Dash the entire time. Better for both of them. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Twi and the others,” Stark said, prompting the eyes behind him to rise back up and stare at his backside. Tony slowly spun back around, meeting his fellow Avengers and staring into Strange’s powerful set of irises. “We do this together, we do it fast, and we do it clean. This invasion has to end now.” “Couldn’t agree more,” Doctor Strange said with a strong nod, turning to his left and shouting, “Wong! Tend to the civilians while we’re away! We’ll be meeting the princesses on Equus and stopping this invasion!” Several heads turned at that. The heads belonging to the Punisher, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Danny Rand, Colleen Wing, and Jessica Jones. While those like Misty Knight and Claire Temple had more important things to deal with at the moment, the Defenders found themselves simply standing awkwardly amongst the crowds. Frank Castle had slipped his assault rifle back into his backpack alongside his MSSR. He stood by Karen and Foggy, chatting only with Page and ignoring Nelson. Danny was too busy to focus on what the wizard and the Avengers were up. He, instead, kept all of his attention solely on Colleen and her wound. The two sat on the stairsteps, Danny gently prodding Colleen’s stomach with the bloody tissues offered to him from Wong. Luke, Matt, and Jessica stood silently, watching the Avengers converse with one another. “Jessica…” That voice. Jones knew it personally, forced herself to despise it ever since her mother was killed by the one behind the voice. She didn’t even give Trish Walker a moment by her side, already turning away and walking to the maze-like hallways that awaited her within the Sanctum. “No,” she flatly said, turning her back on Trish. But Trish was determined. She caught up with Jessica, almost grabbing her friend’s arm. “Jessica, please, let me talk to you. Jessica, just for once listen to me—!” “No, Trish, you listen to me,” Jessica snapped, wheeling back and nearly slamming her forehead against Trish’s own. Walker took a few steps back in precaution, raising her hands only slightly to see Jessica’s horrific glare sent her way. She shot her finger right beneath Trish’s chin, hissing, “I was not the one… to murder my mother. That was you. Despite everything… she could have changed. She was close… to having changed.” Trish appeared hurt, the red in her eyes clearly evidence of that. “Jessica—” “And you took that away!” she nearly screamed, already trying to slow her rapid breathing when numerous eyes shifted their way, including the eyes and ears of Luke Cage and Matt Murdock respectively. Refusing to make more a scene, Jessica blew her hair out of her face, shaking her head. “We’re through. I’m done, Trish. The longer I’m staying under the same roof as you, the more I’m reminded of my mother’s bloody corpse lying beneath me… and seeing you standing there with a gun. As long as that stands… then so do I. In fact…” She turned her head left, Trish still staring at her with a wrenching heart. She slowly followed Jessica’s gaze eventually, almost gasping to see who she was calling to. “Hey!” Jessica called out to the Avengers, Tony and his group turning accordingly to Jessica’s voice. “You heading to that alien planet over our heads?” Unsure of how to respond to her question, the remaining Avengers and Strange remained silent. It was Spider-Man in the end who responded. “Pretty soon, yeah,” Peter answered, Tony’s head swiveling his way as if he was just betrayed. Jessica sneered in Trish’s direction, already abandoning her side and striding forward to meet with Stark and the others. Trish watched her leave, her injured eyes only doing so much not to release the tears. “You want some backup?” Jessica asked, stopping right in front of Stark and Strange with the others staring from behind. She rested a single gloved-palm on her hip, meeting their confused expressions. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m already over this whole ‘alien invasion’ bullshit.” It took a second or two for them to respond. And already, Jessica’s attitude went from bad to worse faster than she would have hoped. “Is this civi serious?” Rhodes asked. “Excuse me?” Jessica growled, the tips of her voice mixed with venom. Her glare was quickly growing, only worsening when the Iron Man himself took a step forward and stared at her like he would an insolent child. Like she didn’t know what she was doing. Like she was just another one of the helpless citizens of New York trying to do good in the world. That wasn’t her anymore. She was just tired of the bullshit. “Listen, ma’am,” Stark began, resting his glowing palm on her shoulder. “We just think you’ll be safer here with the others. So, why don’t you just take a seat and get some rest for the—Jesus!” Jessica reached upwards and forcefully pried Stark’s hand off her shoulder, actually managing to bend it at an awkward angle. Even with the Mark 50, Stark nearly fell over from the woman’s surprising strength. Almost superhuman. The reactions that followed were appropriate. Peter shot out his hands, telling Jessica to wait. It was followed by several more “no’s”. War Machine shot out his palm, the end glowing a bright red to signify the threat he sent Jessica’s way, obviously telling her to let go without even saying a word. Thor, Banner, Strange, and Vision all flinched at her showing of brute force. Loki, on the other hand, slowly smiled, a hand rising to rest below his chin. “Calm down,” Rhodes slowly stated, his palm glowing brighter. Jessica’s glare only worsened, not a single muscle in her body otherwise moving. “Let him go now.” “Hold up, Rhodey!” Tony said, holding up his free finger with his other hand. Breathing steadily, trying not to move as much as to keep his right arm intact, Tony looked up to the black-haired woman staring pitifully at him, her ruby-red lips as flat as the floor Stark was currently trying not to fall on. “You got some impressive strength there… uh…” “Jessica,” she stated. So flat. So plain. So tired of the bullshit. Stark could respect that. “All right… Jessica,” Tony slowly said, trying to meet her eyes and successfully doing so. He wanted to find come common ground, probably give her what she wanted. And what she wanted was to leave the Sanctum. “Wanna come to pony land with us?” Jessica’s frown didn’t get any better. “Pony what?” “He’s talking about Equus,” a noticeable voice from behind Jessica stated, Jones and the others turning appropriately to the voice and finding the Devil it belonged to. With him walked Luke Cage, the two meeting by Jessica’s side and facing the Avengers before them. Murdock finished by saying, “The planet above our heads, the same planet where the alien ambassadors came from two years ago.” “Why do you want to leave, Jessica?” Luke asked. She finally let go of Stark’s hand, Tony caressing the metal plating carefully. She lied when she said, “Oh, you know… get some fresh air for once… and not breathe in smoke. If where we’re going is safe, without an alien invasion constantly hanging over our heads, then I’m out of here.” “It’s safer than New York,” Strange admitted, thinking back to where Princess Celestia and Luna were situated. He watched as Jessica turned his way, allowing him to further state, “But you’ll find that the Sanctum is just what you’ll—” “I’m going,” Jessica stated firmly, crossing her arms towards them. Looking back only a few inches to her right, she asked, “You jerkoffs coming, too?” Luke looked to Matt, who observed Wong and several other sorcerers emerge and aid the civilians. They tended to their wounds, offered them tea, water, or whatever drink they desired. The civilians were shocked to see the sorcerers conjure such drinks in their own hands, offering the cups to their shaking palms. Alongside Claire, they seemed to be exceptional medics, tending to wounds with their dancing fingers, sealing cuts and cleaning up blood. Whoever they were—the sorcerers and wizards, that is—they had everything under control. “We won’t be much help here or outside. Against that army…” Murdock mumbled, Luke turning his eyes back to Matt. Daredevil shook his head, almost like he was unsure of himself at first, but eventually gave in. “We have a better chance if we stick with the Avengers, to understand how this started and how to end it. What do you think?” What did Luke think? What did the famous Luke Cage have to say about the situation laid before them? What did Power Man himself have to say to the suffering, the alien attacks, to the complete disregard for human safety and life? He didn’t have much to say at all. He could only think of the circumstances, crossing his burly arms as he did so. He could walk right out that door and take on as many aliens as he wanted, knowing they couldn’t hurt him, and probably save a few more lives in the process. That thought did cross his mind, but it was overshadowed by the overwhelming possibility of what would happen if he followed Tony Stark and his Avengers to Equus, to try and find a way to stop the invasion altogether. The lives he could save, all of which the law couldn’t in these desperate times. Luke Cage knew that in desperate times… there were desperate measures that needed to be taken. He finally concluded, sighing but ultimately nodding his head. “I’m down if you are.” “Count me in.” Both men turned to Frank Castle approaching them from behind. His dark trench coat swayed behind him with every step he took, his heavy boots stomping across the slick, marble foyer floor. The first thing they saw was the white skull painted on his black armor, then they gazed to the genuine frown plastered on Frank’s face. “Lost a lot of lives today,” Castle told them. He could see Stark’s uncertain eyes shift his way, but he didn’t really care. He tightened the straps on his backpack, saying, “I answered the call to arms when the towers were hit, and I’ll answer it again if it means ending this invasion.” Matthew Murdock wouldn’t have it any other way. He had personal experience knowing that when Castle had your back, nothing touched you. Nodding at that, Murdock looked over to Stark and the others, eventually seeing the nod in return. “We might as well get Danny… and say a few goodbyes,” Matt muttered, speaking only to Cage, Jessica, and Castle. Only Cage and Castle responded to that, Jessica standing where she was and refusing to leave the Avengers’ side. And only Stark was the Avenger to actually hear what Daredevil said. His eyes shot back, to Danny Rand sitting alone with Colleen on his left. The remaining Defenders took the last moments on Earth that they could, returning to the crowds and the people that had made significant impacts on their lives. Friends and family. Lovers and allies. Luke offered Misty and Claire two long, drawn-out, and tearful hugs, promising he would be back soon. Murdock did the same for both Karen Page and Foggy Nelson. Karen whispered in his ear while in his arms, telling him not to make promises he couldn’t keep. The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen had no response to that. As Castle offered his only hug to Karen after Murdock, that just left Danny Rand. He sat by his closest friend, his only lover, Colleen Wing, and gently padded away at her bleeding wound with the tissues given to him from the sorcerer. He paid no heed to the conversations around him, his one and only focus being on her. He didn’t even come to notice the loud, metallic footsteps stopping right in front of them, followed by that voice… “Need some help?” They both lifted their heads and gazed at the Iron Man standing before them. Unsure at first, Danny almost appeared defensive of Colleen, lowering his guard only when he felt her hand on his own, telling him without a word to let Stark offer his aid. She nodded his way, her eyes filled with pain she tried to keep in, but ended up only showing her human side and giving in to the agony gripping her. Danny couldn’t stand to see her that way. He slid across the stairstep, making sure to keep his fist clenched as Stark fell to his knee and held out his right hand. “All right, move your hand away,” Tony told her, watching as Colleen slowly obliged. Once she moved the bloody bandages and her own crimson-painted palm, Stark almost grimaced at the sight of her abdomen, burned skin surrounding the bleeding wound. Tightening his fist, a few nanoparticles moved away and formed the spout, firing a cool mist directly onto the burn. Colleen hissed slightly, causing Danny to tense up. Both eased themselves eventually, seeing and feeling as Colleen slowly relaxed, the medical suture spray already doing what modern science could only dream of. Colleen smiled appreciatively towards Stark, Tony smiling back and standing back up to full height. Danny quickly slid back over and checked Wing’s wound, Colleen giving him the assurance he needed by pressing her forehead against his, whispering words of comfort to him. It was all he could have ever asked for. Danny slowly looked back, met Tony Stark’s gaze with his own. A tiny nod later, and Rand finally said, “Thank you.” “No sweat,” Stark said with a tiny smile. “Also, your… friends wanted you to tag along.” “I’ll pass,” Danny said, slipping closer to his love, wrapping his arm over her shoulder. “Colleen needs me.” “No, Danny, I’m fine,” Colleen told him, Danny already spinning her way for a retort, but falling short when she pressed her lips against his, pushing hard one last heartfelt and passionate time with Danny on Earth. The two broke away, both almost breathless. “Just… go without me, okay? Go stop this invasion. I’ll be safe here with the others.” As Claire checked Colleen’s healing wound—sitting next to her on the stairstep—Misty remained standing, her strong and unbroken gaze meeting with Danny’s very own. “We’ll watch out for her,” Misty assured him. Danny stared at her, at them, back at Colleen… and finally nodded. He felt Stark’s metal palm on his shoulder. “Come on, then. Us billionaires got some business models to compare.” As he pulled Danny up to his feet and away from the women, Danny sighed, grumbling, “I’m not even running Rand Enterprises anymore.” “It’s a joke,” Stark said, already hearing the incoming call from his earpiece. He pushed Danny forward and waved him ahead, saying, “You’ll learn to get sick of them the longer you hang around me!” Once Danny joined the rest of his fellow Defenders alongside Strange, Parker, Loki, and the Avengers, Stark pressed his fingers to his ear, answering the call with a solid, “Hello?” A muffled but familiar voice on the other end spoke rapidly, Stark holding out his hand as if he stood right in front of him. “No, there’s a change of plans… we won’t be able to take out the Command Center just yet,” Tony quickly explained, already flinching when he heard the shouting on the other end. “I know I promised her… I know… Well, tell her something came up. Tell her… tell her we’re gonna fix this faster… I’m not lying, Happy. Seriously.” He stopped right by Peter, gripping his shoulder as he did so. Parker turned his way, the mask falling away and his slight confusion evident by the expression on his face. He listened without a sound leaving him as Tony stared elsewhere, continuing to mumble, “Okay… okay, that’s great to hear… Yeah, I’ll tell him… All right, keep me posted.” His metal hand fell from his ear, Tony smiling over to Peter. A helpful smile. A comforting one. One that held plenty of good news in a time where chaos reigned and the universe was at stake. “Just got news from Happy that May is safe. He got to her in time.” It was like the biggest breath of fresh air Peter could have inhaled. “Thanks, Mr. Stark,” he said, his own smile finally returning to him after so long. Stark really liked to see the kid smile. “Really, you have no idea how much this means to me.” Tony was about to respond before Strange interrupted him. “Stark! Peter!” Both turned on that, meeting Strange’s eyes and watching as he spun his hand in a circle formation, the others around him confused as to what he was doing. Well, everyone except Loki and Thor. “We’re leaving for Equus now!” Doctor Strange backed away as the vortex erupted into several orange sparks. The portal to Equus was open at last, Jessica Jones and the three behind her slowly approaching it steadily, cautiously, ready for practically anything to happen. The four Defenders and Frank Castle entered first, then Vision and Rhodes, then Thor, Loki, and Banner, then Strange himself. As for Tony Stark and Peter Parker, they remained standing in the center of the foyer a moment longer, Peter gazing wondrously at the shimmering orange portal whereas Stark stared at the floor, his lips pursing in thought. He breathed out, turning back to the kid on his right. “You did good out there,” Tony said, staring at Peter. That’s when he met his eyes, the young and the old sharing that simple connection but holding so much more. Tony hadn’t thought much about it lately. In fact, the first he ever heard of the Spider-Man was on YouTube, and then carefully watching him to see what he would do next, who he would save next, how much of a hero he wanted to become. He just wanted to do good in the world. He just wanted to be what Tony Stark knew he wasn’t anymore. He showed his strengths and weaknesses in Leipzig. He proved himself last summer against the Vulture to be a hero not only to stop the bad guys… but to do what was absolutely right… no matter what. If that wasn’t something the Avengers were defined as… He sighed and shook his head. “Screw it,” Tony said, pressing his fingers on Peter’s shoulders simultaneously, ultimately knighting Peter. It held so much more weight, making Peter practically lose his breath when Stark actually said it. “All right, kid. You’re an Avenger now.” Tony Stark turned and left for the portal. And all Peter Parker could do was stand there dumbstruck, trying to comprehend the words sent to him, the new title bestowed upon him, and the responsibility that came with it. He wanted to try and comprehend it, but his smile grew so damn big and proud that that’s all he could think about. Peter Parker. Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Now full-fledged Avenger.